Banks Payout Heavy Sums in US Violation Probe Settlements

Japan’s Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ has reached an $8.6 million settlement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury over a violation of U.S. rules forbidding the transfer of money to nations such as Cuba and Iran.

Bank spokesman Shinya Matsumoto said Thursday that most of the money went from Japan to Sudan and Myanmar in 2006 and 2007 via a third nation.

The bank reported the transfers in 2008 after an internal investigation began in 2007. It has since taken measures to prevent a recurrence.

HSBC this week agreed to pay a record $1.9 billion to U.S. authorities to settle a money laundering probe.

American authorities said the bank had helped Mexican drug traffickers, Iran, Libya and others under U.S. suspicion or sanction to move money around the world.